{"id":753583,"date":"2026-06-06T01:15:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T01:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/753583\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T01:15:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T01:15:21","slug":"clippers-kawhi-leonard-steve-ballmer-have-met-with-investigators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/753583\/","title":{"rendered":"Clippers Kawhi Leonard, Steve Ballmer have met with investigators"},"content":{"rendered":"

NBA investigator interviews have begun for Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard and his uncle and business adviser, Dennis Robertson, per ESPN.<\/a><\/p>\n

Leonard, Robertson, and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer are under investigation<\/a> after a series of podcasts from the show \u201cPablo Torre Finds Out\u201d revealed Ballmer\u2019s company, Aspiration<\/a>, was accused of receiving a $50 million investment from his personal LLC in September, 2021.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Steve Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and star Kawhi Leonard have been interviewed for their roles in the Clippers-Aspiration scandal currently being investigated. NBAE via Getty Images\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Kawhi Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and star Kawhi Leonard have been interviewed for their roles in the Clippers-Aspiration scandal currently being investigated. NBAE via Getty Images\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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Shortly after the investment was made, Leonard and Aspiration agreed to an endorsement deal of $28 million<\/a>. Torre recently revealed on Friday that in March of 2023, Ballmer invested another $10 million, which suggests these investments have been recurring.<\/p>\n

According to the article by ESPN, the interview process has been lengthy. Ballmer and other Clippers executives have also sat in for interviews by the NBA\u2019s private investigation team.<\/p>\n

Before game 1 of the NBA Finals, this past Wednesday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said that the investigation was far along and that he thinks they\u2019re getting close to putting an end to it.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe investigation is being conducted by a law firm independent of the NBA,\u201d Silver said before Game 1. \u201cI mean, yes, ultimately we are paying their bills, but they are doing the work independent of the league office. My instruction to them is we can\u2019t be investigating forever, and at some point, we have to wrap it up, but at the same time, I think the most important thing is we get it right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Silver has not given a timeline for when the investigation will be finished, but did say the Clippers need \u201cto understand what situation they are going to be operating under, and so do the other 29 teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

The federal prosecutor who launched the DOJ\u2019s investigation into Aspiration renders his verdict on the Kawhi Leonard scandal: <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very hard to imagine a scenario where rational actors would take these routes, but for the sake of this outcome. And that would be salary-cap\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/KTWhsBTawZ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) June 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Since the allegations were made public, Ballmer and the Clippers have denied them and have remained adamant that there is no evidence supporting them.<\/p>\n

In the article, ESPN says they have spoken to people in and close to the NBA about potential outcomes from the investigation, and that the NBA could receive some pushback from the National Basketball Players Association or from the other 29 owners.<\/p>\n

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